kwilly

My wife and I and another couple will be visiting the San Diego area Feb. 2-9, 2008. We are mid 50's and still very active! We love to sightsee, walk/hike, etc. We also love great places to eat and soak up the ambiance of new areas we have never visited. This is our first visit to southern Calif. We will be staying on Coronado Island for the week but want ideas for a weeks itinerary while visiting. (definite places to visit and things to do!) We have tons of literature on the area but I always have very good luck on this site getting ideas from people that have actually visited the area. Any suggestions/tips will be appreciated. I can also be reached through my email if you would prefer to direct message me. [email protected]
Thanks!

vegasnative

You should go to La Jolla one day. It is such a beautiful area, a perfect place to "walk, sightsee & soak up the ambiance!"

TahitiTams

Coronado is such a gorgeous quaint island..Hotel Del is a beautiful property to walk around and have drinks.
I am a big fan of the Brigantine across the street..weekly seafood happy hour specials.
La Jolla is a must and if you like to hike, the Torrey Pines State Reserve is a stunning park.
George's at the Cove in LJ eating on the terrace and driving up the coast to Del Mar and up to Encinitas is fun too.
Balboa Park & Cabrillo National Monument are something not to be missed.

georgesatthecove.com
torreypine.org
brigantine.com
hoteldel.com

nanabee

Some other nice restaurants in Coronado are:
Miguels Mexican (it is next door to the Brigantine and if fact, I think it is owned by the Brigantine)
Rhinoceros Restaurant on Orange Ave.
Tent City

nanabee

opps sorry i posted accidentally.
There is a nice breakfast spot next door to Starbucks on Orange Ave.

I love to go to Pt. Loma Seafood for lunch.
Bread & Cie in Hillcrest is wonderful for the best bread in town!

nanabee

Ah, one more place in Coronado is The Boat on Glorietta Bay. It is pricey, but the food is great and has a wonderful view of the bay and sailboats. It is a large, beautiful old Victorian home turned into a restaurant.

TahitiTams

Hi nanabee..
I have never heard of the 'the boat'..did it used to be called Chez Loma? I believe that is still there and its really good too..
Coronado Brewing Co is also really good.

nanabee

oh tahiti- thanks i meant to type the Boat House! It is on Glorietta Bay near the yatch club - sorta across from the Hotel Del Coronado.

I also love Chez Loma and the Coronado Brewing Companhy. Very, very good suggestion too!

nanabee

ach! my spelling is horrible - meant to type "company"

TahitiTams

It used to be the Chart House..
Danny's Palm grill and bar is outstanding for one of the best burgers..
Thanks nana!

nanabee

danny palm grill, hmm not been there yet. will check it out. thanks!

kwilly

Thanks for the suggestions vegasnative, TahitiTams, and nanabee! We plan to make this an active trip. We are all retired but not TIRED! Vacations used to be just for relaxing but now we like to go and see as much as we can.....we'll rest when we get back home.
Is a day trip up to the wine country in the Temecula Valley worth it or might it possibly be a let down compared to Sonoma/Napa? I have also heard that the San Diego Zoo is a must see....it it? I welcome all the suggestions that are out there. Thanks again.

roy2moira

Take the ferry from Coronado Island to downtown San Diego. You will debark at Harbor Dr & Broadway. After debarking from the ferry you will note a tall ship which makes up the major part of a museum. Then take a left from the ferry for an easy walk past an impressive aircraft carrier (can't remember the name) to Seaport Village then to the Gaslamp Quarter. Nearby is the Padre's baseball park, San Diego Convention Center, & Horton Square. There's a very good Chinese restaurant on the top floor - Panda Inn. Also Croce's on 5th is great - maybe if you hit it lucky A.J. Croce will be performing.

There is a lot to see in that area, all within easy walking distance, then return to Coronado via the ferry.

Someone mentioned Cabrillo National Monument & Balboa Park. These two places are not to be missed. Old Town used to be a great place to visit but it lost a lot of visitors when the State of California awarded a lease to a new vendor which brought about major changes but it could still be worth a stroll through the area.

If you like seafood try Point Loma Seafood near Shelter Island and while in that area take a drive through Shelter Island and Harbor Island, both manmade.

I think you will love San Diego. Have fun & enjoy.

Barbara

The sailing ship is the Star of India which is part of the Maritime Museum.

http://www.sdmaritime.com/

The aircraft carrier is the Midway and it is a museum.

http://www.midway.org/site/pp.asp?c=coIMKTMCF&b=81432

roy2moira

Now I remember. Thanks Barbara. If anyone wants to know anything about San Diego Barbara and TahitiTams are well spoken and true experts of that area.

nanabee

hi roy2moira:
The aircraft carrier that you mentioned is the USS Midway (and is a decommisioned aircraft carrier that was used in WWII).
It is also at the Embarcadaro.

vegasnative

Yes, if you have never been to the San Diego zoo, then I would for sure go. It is one of the best ones in the US. I have been many times, and still love to go each time we visit SD.

sunbum1944

I loved hiking around Torrey Pines
and a very fun thing I did was ride my bike up the coast Hwy - of course there is a lot of traffic in some areas. I rode in the Carlsbad area from Carlsbad State Beach into the town of Carlsbad and I did not the the traffic was terrible. Its a beautiful ride and there are bike lanes.

I love the beach towns north of SD- Solana Beach, Encinitas,Carlsbad etc.

From downtown SD you can take the train to several of the beach towns- including Carlsbad - and you would not have to drive- there is a train station right in the heart of Carlsbad Village .

enjoy - love it there



Carlsbad is a cute village with lots of shops and restaurants - easy to get around the town on a bike because its pretty flat

I have always wanted to try the sea kayaking at the La Jolla Caves - looks fun.

J_Correa

We just got back from SD - it was our 3rd trip, but our first time to the zoo. We were really impressed by the zoo. We were there for 5 hours and could have stayed longer.

Afterwards we went to the Corvette Diner in the Hillcrest neighborhood, which isn't far from the zoo. This is a fun place with all sorts of 50s memorabilia, bunches of different flavors of shakes, malts, etc. and some pretty good diner food.

imawanderlust

kwilly,

Something I didn't read about here already:

You'll be there at a fantastic time to go whale watching. I did this in Feb '06. We went on one of the excursions booked from a company on Harbor Drive near the Port Authority and ferries, etc. They take you out and around Point Loma and up the West Coast. We were able to see a couple of flukes, and then our "captain" took us out to a school of dolphins. There were dolphins EVERYWHERE! It was quite a sight to see! We got great photos.

In addition, you'll get to see some of the bay/harbor area from the boat and you'll see some of the homes down the strip of Point Loma.